The 10 Most Underrated Romance Movies
The Notebook, Pride and Prejudice, Love, Actually, what do all of these blockbuster romance movies have in common? None of them are on this list. This list is for the underrated, the underappreciated, the unsung romance heroes of cinema. While lacking in rain-drenched kisses between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, these love stories will make your eyes equally moist. Sorry, “moist” is the least romantic word in the English language, but don’t worry, it won’t appear in these film scripts—they’re far more seductive than that. Here they are, the 10 most underrated romance movies, for when you need a love story unlike any other.
Spontaneous
Directed by Brian Duffield, Spontaneous is a seriously explosive romance. While sitting in class, a senior at Covington High spontaneously combusts, showering classmates with gore. As authorities frantically try to figure out the cause, more students begin exploding, and the survivors begin living like every day is their last. After an unexpected love confession over text, students Mara and Dylan begin dating, knowing their love story could end with a bloody bang at any moment. Shot like a CW drama with a twist, Spontaneous mixes textbook teen romance with black comedy body horror—the result is a gory, gleeful, and at times gut-wrenching coming-of-age tale of devotion. With hormones raging, first love can feel like an explosion of emotion. Spontaneous takes it literally.
5 Centimeters per Second
Directed by Makoto Shinkai, 5 Centimeters per Second is a devastating coming-of-age romance told in three parts. The story begins with Takaki Tōno and Akari Shinohara, who quickly become elementary school besties. Before their childhood affection can mature into something more, Akari moves away, but the pair keep in touch by writing letters. As the years pass, they fall head over heels in long-distance love, but the ever-changing circumstances of their lives impede a real relationship from taking root. 5 Centimeters per Second is a romantic tragedy in slow motion, its title a reference to the speed at which cherry blossoms fall. Not all love is meant to last, but love that never gets a chance to bloom? That’s the greatest tragedy of all.
Once
Directed by John Carney, Once is a love story with all the charm of an indie folk song. After a musical meet-cute on the streets of Dublin, an Irish busker and a Czech pianist begin writing songs together. As they craft what will become a record full of folk rock bangers, they become intimately acquainted with each other’s lives, dreams, and heartbreaks. With music composed by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, who also play the film’s central couple, Once is a soul-stirring romantic drama about two people drawn together by their mutual respect for one another’s art. There are no dramatic love confessions, no rain-drenched kisses or declarations of devotion—just two humans playing music together. The romantic subtext is sung, not left unspoken.
Submarine
Directed by Richard Ayoade, Submarine is a coming-of-age romance set in the little Welsh town of Swansea. High school loner Oliver is smitten with his equally ostracized classmate Jordana, and the pair begin to date after Jordana decides to use him to make her ex jealous. As their one-sided relationship blossoms into mutual attraction, Oliver also begins investigating his parents’ marriage. According to his calculations, they haven’t had sex in half a year. Suspicious that his mother is having an affair, Oliver takes it upon himself to save his parents’ relationship, challenging his own in the process. It’s a quirky comedy about loneliness, with a cast of characters whose emotional lives are as desolate as the weather in northwest Europe. Despite the dour exteriors, the sun shines upon the characters at the film’s end. It’s truly a tender love story, albeit between a pyromaniac and a semi-suicidal school bully. Not a match made in Heaven, but on the beaches of Wales—more interesting that way.
But I’m a Cheerleader
Directed by Jamie Babbit, But I’m a Cheerleader is a campy queer masterpiece that was far ahead of its time. Suspicious of her vegetarian habits and love for Melissa Ethrdige, 17-year-old Megan is sent to a conversion therapy camp by her parents, who think that she’s a lesbian. Spoiler alert: they were right. Lucky for Megan, her two months at the True Directions camp give her ample time to get to know Graham, a college girl who is struggling with her own sexuality. As the pair fall in love, they wage a quiet rebellion against their disciplinarian counselors, convincing fellow campers to embrace queerness in the process. With all the charm of the John Waters film and a color palette twice as vibrant, But I’m a Cheerleader is a hilarious, heartwarming romance cult classic.
Mississippi Masala
Directed by Mira Nair, Mississippi Masala is a love story between a black Mississippian and an Indian Ugandan immigrant, who happen to cross paths in the American South. After they were forcibly expelled from Uganda by dictator Idi Amin, Mina’s family moved to the United States, where her father developed a prejudice against black people. Despite her father’s bigoted views, Mina falls in love with Demitrius, a local black carpet cleaner, and the pair embark on a Romeo and Juliet-style forbidden romance. While it was well-received upon release, the film failed to make an impression at the box office. Despite its initial lack of success, Mississippi Masala has evolved into a cult-classic romance gem. It’s a complex and thought-provoking exploration of the idea of homeland, which the film suggests is not the place where one is born, but where one finds belonging.
Secretary
BDSM-centric films are few and far between, and are often scandalized by audiences and critics. The cinematic disaster that was 50 Shades of Grey certainly didn’t do the genre any favors. Predating Christian Grey and Anastasia’s tortured love affair is Steven Shainberg’s Secretary, a cult classic that leans into the romantic side of kink. After being released from a psychiatric hospital, Lee Holloway gets a job as a secretary for E. Edward Grey (oh, the irony of his last name). Irritated by her frequent spelling errors, Grey begins taking *ahem* disciplinary measures against Lee, and the pair form a romantic bond based on their power dynamic. The beauty of the film comes from its subversion of the romance genre, which usually revolves around two idiosyncratic people forming a taboo relationship. In Secretary‘s case, this taboo is much more forbidden than most. It’s one thing to write Notebook-style letters to express your devotion, but it’s another to spend three days sitting motionless in an office chair to prove your love—but Lee does it consensually and gladly.
Hiroshima Mon Amour
An almost-forgotten romance from a bygone era, Alain Resnais’s Hiroshima Mon Amour is a love affair between a French actress and a Japanese architect. Shot in somber black-and-white, the film captures a series of conversations between the unnamed couple, who connect over the past tragedies they suffered during World War II. Enchanted by each other’s stories, they embark on a 24-hour courtship that oscillates between slow-burning conversation and passionate lovemaking. Interspersed with wartime flashbacks, the film unfolds like a visual poem. If you’re looking for a neat, tidy love story that wraps up in a bow, look elsewhere. Hiroshima Mon Amour is a complex study of trauma, named for the literal and emotional fallout of one of the most devastating conflicts in human history.
Blue Jay
Directed by Alex Lehmann, Blue Jay is the story of former high school sweethearts Jim and Amanda, who bump into one another after Jim returns to his hometown. After multiple meet-cutes in grocery stores and parking lots, Jim and Amanda decide to spend a little time catching up, which leads them to reveal the less-than-happy details of their post-graduate lives and confess unresolved feelings. The simplicity of Blue Jay is its greatest strength, the film relies entirely on the palpable chemistry between its two leads. Jim and Amanda should have stayed together, but the circumstances of their adolescent lives got in the way—better late than never.
Far from the Maddening Crowd
An adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel of the same name, Far from the Maddening Crowd is the story of Bathsheba Everdeen—a character whose name may be the greatest in romance novel heroine history. Unwooed by the farmer Gabriel and his promise of a stable but boring marriage, the headstrong Bathsheba embarks on a whirlwind romance with Frank Troy—a charming soldier and walking red flag. After the rich Boldwood throws his name into the romance hat, Bathsheba is forced to make a decision that will influence the rest of her life. Do these romance novel tropes sound familiar? Thomas Hardy was one of the first to codify them into the genre. This classic romance epic has held up long after its publication in 1874, and its cinematic adaptation is a testament to its seminal, enduring impact. Who wouldn’t want to watch a fiery Carey Mulligan get romanced by three charming men? Well, really just one charming man. Surprisingly enough, Gabriel is really the only man worth his salt—finding out why is part of the film’s beauty.
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